WALES ACE REALLY PROVES HIS WORTH
EXCITEMENT among Welsh supporters pre-tournament hit fever pitch when talk of a fully-fit forward axis of Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale were raring to go heading into Euro 2020.
Any follower of Welsh football for the last decade would be right to mark these two supremely gifted forwards as Wales’s most potent threats this summer.
The difference this time around as opposed to five years ago, though, is that there is a third dangerous weapon who continues to be mentioned.
Daniel James’s name has cropped up again and again, more so with each passing game in this tournament, and rightly so.
For so long Ramsey and Bale have carried the torch for this Wales side, the bearers of the keys to unlock defences and produce moments of magnificence.
Manchester United flyer James, though, has grabbed those keys over the course of the tournament so far. He has been just as impressive, if not more so, than his Juventus and Real Madrid team-mates.
James’s performances have turned heads. There have been some impressive displays from Rob Page’s men across the park – Danny Ward, Joe Rodon, Connor Roberts, Bale and Ramsey against Turkey – but many would have the young United winger as their pick of the bunch so far.
Indeed, when Italian captain Giorgio Chiellini, who was injured for the Wales clash on Sunday, stopped by for a pre-match interview with ITV, the Juventus great was gushing in his praise of the 23-year-old.
“I love Aaron Ramsey, we play together, he’s a fantastic player, a little bit unlucky with many injuries,” the veteran told ITV.
“But when he is fit, he is an intelligent and fantastic player. “Bale... he is known by everyone. “Also, I like very much James, he has grown up so much at Manchester United.”
He is not alone in his praise. While Wales ultimately lost to the Azzurri, James was crucial to ensuring they progressed to the knockout stages with tremendous performances in the first two matches of the tournament.
Managerial great Jose Mourinho singled out James as a dangerman for Page’s side ahead of the Italy game when he said: “This kid James, they have to rely a lot on him, because he is fast, he’s the one who can break defenders.”
Pundits aplenty have also weighed in on the impact of the young Welshman, including Ian Wright, who highlighted the wide man as Wales’s most potent threat ahead of the 2-0 win over Turkey. Right on cue, he was a thorn in the side of the Turkish defence all evening.
Bale and Ramsey will have their moments, make no mistake of that. They both hit their stride against Turkey, but the numbers back up just why James is a more consistent threat for Wales.
The former Swansea City flyer has created eight chances in this tournament so far, more than any other player. In fact, it was more than he made for United last term.
It proves that he flourishes in the glow of responsibility. He relishes the prospect, in fact, and that can only bode well for the future.
The fact he played a bit-part role for United over the last 12 months or so will have hindered his progress, but in turn it has presented Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a very expensive problem.
It appears United believe they must splash somewhere north of £80 million for Jadon Sancho, the Borussia Dortmund winger who hasn’t kicked a ball for England yet in this tournament.
In light of United’s interest in Sancho, James has been linked with moves to Leeds United and Leicester City in recent months and if both clubs are watching Wales’s progress at the Euros, they’ll be quietly hoping United continue to press on in their pursuit for the Dortmund man in the hope it frees up James.
It has been an undulating journey for James at Old Trafford, but he has hit some consistent levels of form.
Still just 23, his best years are clearly ahead of him and that is incredibly encouraging. His coming-of-age summer can only help his stock rise even higher.
So many of Wales’s class of 2016 shot into the limelight five years ago, but one gets the feeling this could be the summer that James finally silences his doubters – and gives Solskjaer some real food for thought in this transfer window.